Convertible playground apparatus



1953' H. R. ROBBINS 2,648,538

CONVERTIBLE PLAYGROUND APPARATUS Filed Feb. 17, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet l HOMER R. ROBBINS nymvmn.

ATTORN EY 1953 H. R. ROBBINS 2,648,538

CONVERTIBLE PLAYGROUND APPARATUS Filed Feb. 17, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 HOMER R. ROBBINS INVENTOR.

BY w z finu AFTORA/EY g- 1953 H. R. ROBBINS 2,648,538

CONVERTIBLE PLAYGROUND APPARATUS Filed Feb. 17, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 HOMER R. ROBBINS INVENTOR.

' ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 11, 1953 UNITED TAT-ES PATIENT or FlCE CONVERTIBLE 'PLlfl zfjzUND APPARATUS Homer R Robbins,-'Amarillo,"1 ex.,- assiguor to E. Y. Brown, Fort Worth, Tex.

Application February 17, 1950, Serial No. 144,825

-1Claim. 1

This invention relates to playground 'equipment, or amusement apparatus, especially designedfo'r children, and it has particular reference to apparatus which is formed' or 'made up in such a manner as to be adaptable-"to rearrange- "ment in different forms, affording units having dilierentcharacteristics, and theprincipal object of the invention resides in the provision of playground or exercising apparatus, such as that shown-and described in a co-pending application filed by applicant herein on September 5, 1946, and bearing Serial No. 694,982, now Patent No. 2,616,485 and to'which reference is made herein for a further description of the invention.

Another object of the invention is that of afiording equipment of the character described which may be economically constructed and is capable'of considerable flexibility in which several different devices for the entertainment and amusement of children may be readily and easily for-med and utilized on playgrounds, in amusement parks, and the like, whereby children may be properly exercised and entertained without undue hazards.

Broadly, the invention contemplates the provision of apparatus which may embody the form of'a swing, a trapeze, a slide, teeter-totter, sled, and other-devices, by the simple rearrangement of parts which are detachably assembled and which are capable of being reassembled in difiercnt forms, as-desired, with a minimum of difiiculty.

While the foregoing objects are paramount, otherand lesser objects will become manifest as the description proceeds, taken in connection with the appended drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a complete 'unit formed by the invention, illustrating a frame -'supporting.a ladderon which is arrangeda teetertotter.v

Figure. 2 is aplan view of the-teeter-totter'assembly employed in the structure shown in Figure 1, illustrating a seat on each end.

Figure 3 is an end view of the assembly illustrated-in Figure 1-.

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of a slide in which the parts are arranged to position the base member in an inclined position, the ladder unit being arranged to provide means for climbing to the upper end of the slide.

Figure 5 is an end view of another arrangement of the assembly, illustrated in Figure 7, in which a pair of ladders are employed and connected at their lower ends.

Figure 6 is a rear elevational view of the asends by bolts or pins Hand sembly illustrated in Figure 4;showing' the" ladder in itsoperative position "and-the underside of the slide member.

Figure 7 is a side elevational view-0f the assembly in which two ladders are arranged s'o tha't their-lower ends are pivotallyconnected, the base assembly being 'capable of-use as a sled-having runners, and

Figure '8 illustrates the same assembly in yet another form wherein'the upright "frame members are inclined toward'the center and pivotally connected to support ateeter-totter, as' illustrated in-detail in Figure 2.

As previously stated, theinven-tio'n is especially designed for :ready reformation from 1 one :s-tructural unit to another, employing "the same par-ts which are-generally in pairs of the same length, and associated so that they-maybe detachedand reassembled with a minimum of effort. 'It is therefore desirable that the :parts may be light, though durable in construction, and connected by bolts or removablepinsto' simplify the rear angement of the-assembly.

Accordingly, therefore, the base member 10 is constructed with apair ct-spacedstrips ll whose ends l2 and 13 are cut diagonally, as particularly illustrated in. Figure *1, providing irun'ners, the forward ends l2 of the assembly being cut diagonally downwardly and rearwardly 'while the rearmost ends i=3 :agonal inclination. on top of the-frame ID- is have the same diarran'g'ed a plate or panel I 4 of sheet-metal, or the like, afiording a suitable floor for the assembly and at once providing a fioor'for a sled which may, as will 'presently'be shown-be utilized as a slide.

A pair of upright members l5 and M; are arranged on each end of the base IlJ-and'thes'e are' sp'a'ced apart and connected attheir lower l8 to the strips] I, hear their ends Hand 13 but spacedfrom the ends a relatively short distance asapparent'in Figure 1. The -members l5 and I6 incline toward each "other and are connected across-their upper'en'ds bya pairof spacedstrips-IQ through tlie m'edium of pins or bolts :20 and'2I. 'Iwo pairs of diagonally arranged bracing members 22 and 23 are connected between the upright members l5 and I6 and the horizontal members l9 by suitable pins or bolts 24 and 25 at their upper and lower ends.

The paired upright members l5 and I6 each have extra sets of apertures 26 and 21 therein whereby to enable the attachment of the parts of different arrangements, as illustrated in the other figures of the drawings, and in a manner which will be presently described. Extra sets of apertures 29 and 38 are formed in the paired horizontal members l9 also for the purpose of rearrangement of the parts to form difierent structures.

In the device shown in Figure 1 a ladder 3| is suspended between the horizontal members l9 and is connected by pins 32 thereto and has a series of rungs 33. Supported at the bottom of the ladder 3| is a teeter-totter 34 which is pivotally supported on a rod or pin 35 extending transversely through the ladder 3|, a keeper block 36 being attached to the bottom of the member 34 to provide for a variety of adjustments of the ladder on its pivot apertures 31 and 38.

The teeter-totter member 34 is illustrated in detail in Figure 2 and shows the seats 39 and 48 arranged on each end thereof in which cutouts 4| and 42 are provided to accommodate the legs of children utilizing the equipment. Hand-holes are provided by bars 43 and 44 arranged transversely of the member 34 in front of each of the seats 39 and 4|].

A re-arrangement of the parts of the structure is illustrated in Figure 4 in which a slide is provided by moving the diagonal brace members 22 and 23 from the assembly so that the upright structures l and Hi can be arranged at diiferent angles, but without disconnecting the bolts or pins 28 and 2| through which these members are attached to the horizontal assembly IS, the members l5, l6 and I9 thus providing a supporting frame structure for the base member In, which is arranged in an inclined position to provide a slide, the latter being rearranged in the assembly so that its upper end is connected by the pin 35 through the apertures 21 in the member I5 while its lower end is connected by the pin 32 through one set of the apertures 29 in the horizontal bar assembly I9, the ladder 3| being employed to reach the top of the slide thus afforded.

Other arrangements of the assembly are illustrated in Figures 7 and 8, and in Figure 7 the structure is very much the same as that shown in Figure 1, the arrangement of the parts being identical except that a pair of ladders 3| are arranged in the the upper ends are connected by pins or rods 45 and 46 arranged through the apertures 38 of the horizontally positioned bars I9 and have their lower ends connected by pins or rods 35 to form a substantial V-arrangement for climb- 1 ing or exercising purposes. The ladders 3| are arranged above the base assembly In whose covering plate |d provides a floor for this assembly. The base structure ID has a rod 46 arranged across and between the runner II to which can,

be attached a rope 41, or other device, for pulling the assembly as a sled, if desired.

Figure 8 illustrates an arrangement of the parts in which the upright members l5 and hi are connected at their upper ends by the rod or pin 35 after having been disconnected from 35 through frame structure so that the horizontal assembly 19, in Figures 1 and '7, providing a support for the teeter-totter member 34, shown in Figure 4, and illustrated in the structure shown in Figure 1. The lower ends of the upright members l5 and I6 are attached to the base In in the same manner as in the structures illustrated in Figures 1 and 7. If desired, and when the structure is employed as a sled, a box 48, having a seat assembly 49, may be secured at each end by rods or pins to the inclined members l5 and It, as shown in Figure 8, providing for small children riding a sled which is more adaptably constructed by the arrangement illustrated in Figure 8. The members 48 and 49 are illustrated in dotted lines.

It will readily become obvious that several different arrangements of the parts may be provided, not herein shown and described, and that certain changes and modifications in the design and construction of the apparatus may be resorted to, from time to time, by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and intent of the invention or the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A ladder climbing device for use as an exercising apparatus for children, comprising a base unit, said base unit including a pair of spaced parallel runners, and an elongated board spanning and rigidly secured to the runners, said runners having apertures in opposite end portions thereof and projecting beyond opposite ends of the board, pairs of upright perforated bars secured at their lower ends to opposite ends of the runners, a further pair of perforated bars rigidly connecting the upper ends of the first named bars, inclined braces connecting the intermediate portions of the first named perforated bars with the intermediate portions of the second named perforated bars, a pair of ladder units suspended from the second named bars near the opposite ends thereof, and means connecting the lower ends of said ladder units together in adjacent relation.

HOMER R. ROBBINS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 909,480 Tothill Jan. 12, 1909 1,013,687 Reach Jan. 2, 1912 1,051,796 Zimmerman Jan. 28, 1913 1,406,765 Shackle Feb. 14, 1922 1,453,035 Williams Apr. 24 1923 1,488,245 Hinton Mar. 25: 1924 1,488,246 Hinton Mar. 25, 1924 1,744,594 Trzesniewski Jan. 21, 1930 1,779,903 Daragon Oct. 28 1930 1,974,531 Dahl Sept. 25,1934 2,488,889 Allie Nov. 22, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country 51,614 Sweden 2 1 1922 

